Newborn found in cardboard box outside Bali child care center

The newborn is thought to have been abandoned around 30 minutes after birth. Photo: @denpasarviral/@liliksuryaariani

A baby boy, thought to have been dumped by his mother minutes after his birth, was discovered on the doorstep of Lila Hita child care center in Tegal village, Buleleng, on Wednesday morning. Two hundred thousand rupiah (US$14) was tucked inside the box, which was first observed by a local couple who happened to be jogging past the scene, as reported by Tribun Bali.

Nyoman Garneli, 54, and Made Arsana, 57, were enjoying a morning run when they heard the sound of a crying baby. Turning to investigate, they were shocked to discover the newborn—with the umbilical cord still attached—inside his cardboard cradle on the doorstep of the day care center.

“He was a bit squashed because the box was small, and there was blood and dirt inside it too. The umbilical cord was about one meter long,” said Arsana to the source.

After alerting the village head, the police were also called in, and the poor baby was taken to Kertha Usada Hospital in Singaraja for treatment. Hospital spokesperson Meri Putriani said that the boy, weighing in at 3.3kg, is currently in a stable condition. “It looks like the labor was carried out alone at dawn and around 30 minutes afterwards, the baby was placed at the scene,” said Putriani to Bali Post.

Meanwhile, Singaraja Police Criminal Investigation Unit is currently trying to find the baby’s mother. A number of witnesses have already been questioned but so far there have been no positive leads.

For now, the baby is being treated in hospital but he will be handed over to Buleleng social services as soon as he’s well enough.